


this blade is your first goal.

by ココダ - coco (arurun)



Series: dad I swear it's not my fault but [7]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Gen, Kuina (One Piece) Lives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:40:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24179842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arurun/pseuds/%E3%82%B3%E3%82%B3%E3%83%80%20-%20coco
Summary: Kuina and Zoro grow. Loto teaches them things.A new goal is set in stone.
Series: dad I swear it's not my fault but [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731370
Comments: 12
Kudos: 396





	this blade is your first goal.

“Zoro.”

Zoro pauses in his steps. “What?”

“I said go left.”

Zoro looks at him weirdly. “Yeah?”

“You’re going right.”

Zoro squints at the crossroads, as if the roads would change. He doesn’t understand. “But left is the side I put my swords, right? That’s what Sensei said.”

Loto stares at him this time. Now that he thought of it...

“Zoro, why is your sword on your right side?”

Zoro is starting to look  _ too _ confused now. He looks down at his wooden shinai and then back at Loto, “because Kuina puts it on this side?”

Loto turns to Kuina, who looks just as exasperated.

“Zoro…” Loto says, “...Kuina is left-handed.”

Zoro blinks. “No, she’s not. She has two hands.”

-

“Why do we need to learn how to fall properly?” 

The exact second Zoro asks that, he goes flying across the sky again. Screaming, he grabs the edge of the roof, skidding over the rails-- and plunks down to the foyer again. 

Loto dusts his hands, turning to the girl who had her jaw hanging. “Now Kuina, tell me what would happen just now if Zoro had been holding his swords.”

Kuina spends a moment wondering if Zoro is still alive.

Then she turns back to Loto. “He crashed armfirst, so…” she looks to the side, contemplating, “if he was holding his swords, he would’ve drawn his hands back, tried to drop the swords and… hit his head, right?”

“Well, something like that,” Loto says. “Swordsmen hold their weapons in their arms, and though it’s our main capability for offense, it takes away options and movements that require our hands. Your legs have to do twice the amount of work to get you around.”

Kuina nods. 

“Kuina, when you get thrown backwards during a fight, what’s the most important thing you have to do?” Loto asks.

Kuina doesn’t think too long. “Protect the back of your head,” she reaches both hands up to cushion her skull as a demonstration, “and curl up, right?”

Loto nods. “When you’re holding your sword-- you can’t do that, right?” 

Kuina thinks for a moment, then she nods.

Loto pats her on the head. “That’s why for swordsmen, it’s important to know how to break your fall with your whole body. You’re not just fighting with your arms-- you’re putting everything you have into both defense and offense-- your legs, your hips, your shoulders-- everything. It could mean life or death.”

Zoro, scrambling out of the debris, makes his way over to complain loudly. Loto casually grabs him by the skull and tosses him to the roof.

“Could you stop breaking the dojo?” Kuina asks in a deadpan, not even bothering to look over. “My father will get angry.”

Loto says, “maybe when Zoro learns how to land on his feet.”

“He’s not a cat.”

“Well, he should be.”

-

“And that’s two thousand!” Kuina points her shinai at Zoro with a grin. Zoro makes the most strangled, annoyed sound a boy could possibly make.“Oh c’mon, don’t be a baby, Zoro,” Kuina teased him. 

“Dammit! Why can’t I win against you?!” Zoro yells into the night sky, like some sort of deity will stare down at him and grant him the answers. In retaliation, he adds, “I can’t win against Kuina, I can’t win against Mister from Sea, this is frustrating!”

Kuina chuckles, sitting at the porch with the shinai at her side.

“I’m sure you’ll get stronger soon,” Kuina says.

Zoro hops up, “you really think so?”

Kuina smiles, though it’s tinged with sadness, “of course! You’re a boy after all. And you’re already strong, even if you can’t beat me yet.” she snickers when Zoro makes an offended noise. “But when we grow up, our bodies will change, and I’ll have trouble keeping up.”

Zoro’s face twists into a frown. “Why?”

Kuina blinks. 

“Our bodies develop differently. Look,” she raises her wrist, and prompts Zoro to do the same.

She rests a hand under Zoro’s fist, and rests her other fist on Zoro’s hand.

“I’m taller, but my wrist is thinner, right? And just a bit now, but your bones are heavier than mine,” Zoro nods, and Kuina continues. “Soon enough, my chest will grow, my hips will widen, and no matter what I do, I’ll have less muscle than you.”

Zoro stares at her while she says it.

Kuina lets go, picking up her shinai. “I want to become the strongest too. But because I’m a girl, my dad says I’m better off not aiming too high.”

Zoro flickers with anger, “wha-- what’s with that?! That’s bullshit!”

Kuina frowns at that. “I don’t like it either!” she sighs, “I wish I was a boy.”

“What’s wrong, you two?”

They turn around. On the roof, laying on the tiles and apparently taking a nap under the moonlight-- is a large yet unnoticed shadow.

“Mister from the Sea,” Kuina says, surprised. “How long have you been there?”

Loto lights his smoking pipe and takes a drag. “Well, long enough. So Kuina, you want to be the Greatest Swordsman in the world?”

Kuina falters. Zoro interrupts, “of course she does!” then he swirls on the girl, “don’t listen to your dad! You’re crazy strong even now! Who cares if you get boobs!”

Kuina blushes a little at that last part, hissing, “don’t  _ yell _ that!”

Loto hums, “well, your dad might be right about the don’t aim too high part.”

Zoro rounds on him, hissing like a wild dog. Loto laughs.

“You see, Kuina. Zoro’s goal now is to surpass you.” Loto says. Kuina looks at Zoro and turns away with a half-hearted scoff. Loto smiles. “Then once he surpasses you, he’ll go on to aim for something bigger. That road is long and tall, and there are many, many detours on the way. You can aim high, but don’t aim too high  _ yet _ .”

Loto jumps into the yard, and puts his hand on the large zen stone beside them.

“My first goal was to cut rock. Then my goal was to cut steel. Then my goal was to cut seastone,” he says. “Dreams are flexible. They can grow, they can change, they can be cleared out of the way-- and dreams never end.”

Loto puts a hand on his sword.

“Dreams don’t discriminate between genders, Kuina,” he says. “If you have to work twice or thrice as hard as Zoro-- then do it. You can do it. You’re the best swordsman in this dojo. But don’t give up no matter what. Got it?”

Kuina bites her lips. With a teary nod, she chokes out, “got it.”

Loto turns to Zoro. “You too, okay?”

Zoro nods, with twice the amount of vigor.

Loto grins. “Okay then,” he pats them both on the head solidly. He turns to Kuina, “being a girl is a handicap. But I have a handicap too,” he paws at his stomach, “would you call me any weaker?”

Kuina and Zoro burst out, “no!” 

Loto smiles. “How about this, then?” 

He puts a hand at his sword, and draws it out of his belt, holding it before them. The two children stared at the sword that was still a little too long for them to wield.

“The first one out of you two to surpass me… can inherit Ishikirimaru,” Loto says.

Their eyes twinkled.


End file.
